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Toni Braxton
|hometown = Severn, Maryland |knownfor = Singer-songwriter |season = Dancing with the Stars 7 |partner = Alec Mazo |place = 8th |highestscore = 23 (Quickstep & Rumba) |lowestscore = 22 (Cha-Cha-Cha, Viennese Waltz, Samba & West Coast Swing) |averagescore = 22.3 }} Toni Michelle Braxton is a celebrity from season 7 of Dancing with the Stars. Early Life Toni Michelle Braxton was born in Severn, Maryland. Her father, Michael Conrad Braxton, was a Methodist clergyman and power company worker, and her mother, Evelyn Jackson, a native of South Carolina, was a former opera singer and cosmetologist, as well as a pastor. Braxton's maternal grandfather was also a pastor. Toni's the oldest of six siblings. She has a younger brother, Michael Jr. (born 1968) and four younger sisters, Traci (born 1971), Towanda (born 1973), Trina (born 1974), and Tamar (born 1977). They were raised in a strict religious household, and Braxton's first performing experience was singing in her church choir. Braxton attended Bowie State University to obtain a teaching degree, but decided to sing professionally after she was discovered by William E. Pettaway, Jr., who reportedly heard her singing to herself while pumping gas. On her appearance 24 May 2014 broadcast of NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, she stated that she was not singing to herself at the gas station. Pettaway, working as an attendant at the Annapolis service station where she was refueling, recognized her from local performances and introduced himself, saying he wanted to produce her. Though skeptical, Braxton decided to, in her words, "take a chance" and accepted. Career 1989 - 1995 Braxton and her four sisters (Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar) began performing as The Braxtons in the late 1980s and were signed to Arista Records in 1989. Their first single, "Good Life", was released in 1990. Though the song was not successful, it attracted the attention of Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. Reid and Babyface recruited her to record a demo of "Love Shoulda Brought You Home", a song that they had written for Anita Baker for the soundtrack of Eddie Murphy's film, Boomerang. Baker, who was pregnant at the time, did not record the song but suggested, that Braxton record it. Her recording was later included on the soundtrack along with "Give U My Heart", a duet by Braxton and Babyface. Braxton, meanwhile, was signed to Reid and Edmonds' Arista-distributed imprint, LaFace Records, and immediately began recording her solo debut album. On 13 July 1993, LaFace Records released Braxton's self-titled debut album, Toni Braxton. The album, which was primarily produced by Reid, Babyface, and Daryl Simmons, peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart. The first single, "Another Sad Love Song", peaked at number seven and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts respectively. The album's second single, "Breathe Again" peaked in the top five of both the Hot 100 and R&B singles charts and no 2 in the UK. More singles from Toni Braxton were released in 1994, including "You Mean the World to Me", "Seven Whole Days", and "I Belong to You/How Many Ways". Braxton's debut album won her several awards, including three Grammy Awards (for Best New Artist and two consecutive awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994 and 1995). She also won two American Music Awards (for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist and Favorite New Adult Contemporary Artist) in 1994 and another one in 1995 (for Favorite Soul/R&B Album). Toni Braxton was certified 8x platinum in USA and has sales of over ten million worldwide. 1996 - 1999 In June 1996, Braxton released her second and most successful album, Secrets. Braxton has said about the album: "The motivation for this album was to include a little bit of everything. Our aim was to come up with material, that would have a familiar 'feel' to the people, who bought the first album without being musically redundant." Along with Babyface, Braxton also worked with R. Kelly, Tony Rich, and David Foster on the album. Braxton was the co-executive producer of the album and co-wrote two of its songs, including the 1997 single "How Could an Angel Break My Heart", which was also later included on Diana Princess of Wales Tribute, a Princess Diana memorial album. With help from the album's first single, "You're Makin' Me High", which became Braxton's first number-one hit on the Hot 100 singles chart, the album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart. "You're Makin' Me High" also topped the R&B singles chart for two weeks and saw similar success in Europe and Asia. The album's second single, "Un-Break My Heart", written and composed by Diane Warren, became the biggest hit of Braxton's career, spending eleven consecutive weeks at number one on the Hot 100 and also topping the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart for eleven weeks and the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart for four weeks, as well as reaching no 2 in the UK. Other singles from the album included the double A-side "I Don't Want To"/"I Love Me Some Him" (which peaked at number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart) and "How Could an Angel Break My Heart"; this last featured Kenny G, with whom Braxton later toured. After 92 weeks in the charts, Secrets was certified 8x platinum, becoming Braxton's second straight 8 million seller. Internationally, Secrets sold more than 15 million copies, thus cementing Braxton's superstar status. Braxton topped the Billboard Year-End Charts as the Top Hot 100 Singles Artist – Female, Top R&B Artist – Female (singles and albums), Top Hot R&B Singles Artist – Female, Top Hot Dance Club Play Artist, and Top Hot Adult Contemporary Artist, while "Un-Break My Heart" became the Top Hot Dance Club Play Single and the Top Hot Adult Contemporary Track of the year. She won two Grammy Awards; one for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Un-Break My Heart" and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "You're Makin' Me High" as well as two American Music Awards for Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album. By 1996, Braxton had sold more than twenty million records; unfortunately, she was still waiting on her financial rewards, eventually launching an unsuccessful lawsuit against Arista and LaFace Records. Soon after, she filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy. Public reaction to these events was very harsh, having been expressed most clearly in an interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Upon successfully filing for bankruptcy, Braxton relinquished the rights to many of her valued possessions, including the Grammys and American Music Awards she had previously been granted. Braxton has appeared on two Disney Broadway shows: She made her Broadway debut as Belle in Beauty and the Beast beginning 9 September 1998 when she replaced Kim Huber. During her run in the show Alan Menken wrote and composed a new song for the musical, titled "A Change in Me", which he specially wrote and composed for Braxton, and was still being used in the musical as of late July 2014. She left the production 28 February 1999 and was succeeded by Andrea McArdle. Her role in Beauty and the Beast marked the first (and only) time a black woman commanded the leading role of Belle on Broadway. (In the UK, Michelle Gayle played the role in the West End.) It also marked the first time a black woman would star in a Disney musical on Broadway. In 1999, the lawsuit against LaFace Records was settled and Toni was given back all her possessions, giving her time to record The Heat, her first album in four years. 2000 - 2005 After Braxton's three-year-long dispute with LaFace and Arista had been settled, Toni signed a new $20 million contract. In March 2000, LaFace Records released "He Wasn't Man Enough", the first single from Braxton's third studio album, The Heat. By June 2000, the song peaked at number two on the Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart. The Heat was released 25 April 2000, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart with first week sales of 194,448 copies sold, it remained in the top 20 for fifteen consecutive weeks. Braxton again worked with producers Babyface and Foster; also included in the staple were Rodney Jerkins, and new beau musician Keri Lewis. Braxton herself also took a more hands-on approach, co-writing and co-producing a handful of the tracks. One selection on The Heat, titled "Gimme Some", featured a rap verse from TLC star Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. The album's second single, "Just Be a Man About It", peaked at number 32 on the Hot 100 and number six on the R&B Charts. The third single, "Spanish Guitar", peaked at number 98 on the Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Dance & Club charts. The fourth single, "Maybe", peaked at 74 on the R&B charts. The Heat was certified double platinum in the US and, by 2002, had sold over 4 million copies worldwide. The Heat was nominated for many awards. At the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards, the album's lead-single, "He Wasn't Man Enough", was nominated for Best R&B Song and eventually won a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, while the album itself was nominated for Best R&B Album. She was also nominated for Best R&B/Soul album, Female on the Soul Train Music Awards, but she lost to "Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1" by Jill Scott. She won two American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album (The Heat). In 2001, she made her movie acting debut in the feature film, Kingdom Come. In 2002, while gearing up for the release of her fourth studio album, Braxton discovered she was pregnant with her second child. Knowing that she would be unable to promote the album properly, she unsuccessfully lobbied Arista Records to get the label to postpone its release until after she was to give birth. Arista Records refused, and the album was released as planned in November 2002. It received very little promotion from either Arista or Braxton herself, due in Braxton's case to the complicated pregnancy that had confined her to bed rest. Braxton accused the company of being unwilling to compromise and punishing her for not putting her career over family. In November 2002, Braxton's fourth studio album, More Than a Woman was released. Opening to an instant commercial disappointment, the album peaked at number 13. The first single, The Neptunes -produced "Hit the Freeway", failed at radio and peaked at number 86 on the Hot 100. The two singles, that followed ("A Better Man", "Lies, Lies, Lies") were scrapped, failed to make a dent and missed the Hot 100 completely. More Than a Woman was certified gold by RIAA and sold more than 800,000 copies worldwide. Prior to the release of the album, a dispute erupted between Braxton and Irv Gotti, when he played a rough cut of "No More Love", a song that he produced for the album, that was to be the first single. Disapproving of Gotti broadcasting the unfinished track, Braxton withheld it from being released. The same year, Braxton was further annoyed, when Jay-Z used the same sample of 2Pac's "Me and My Girlfriend", that she had already used on her track "Me & My Boyfriend" for his and Beyoncé's "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". She then starred in Aida as Aida beginning 30 June 2003 when she replaced Simone and left the cast 16 November 2003 where she was replaced by Michelle Williams. In April 2003, Braxton abruptly left Arista Records, having been there for fourteen years, and immediately signed with Blackground Records, headed by Barry Hankerson, her manager at the time. The change of scenery, however, did not ultimately help her recording career. As had been the case during her final years at Arista, Braxton's fifth album, and first release on Blackground, Libra (2005) was released. In 2004, Braxton appeared as herself, voicing a singing character named Toni, in a special episode and DVD release of the children's television show, Blue's Clues. In September 2004, it was announced that Braxton would star in a half-hour sitcom pilot where she would play a version of herself for The WB Television Network's fall 2006–07 line-up, though plans to put the show into full-production fell through once The WB announced it would cease to exist in fall 2006 (as part of a merger with UPN to form The CW). She has also starred in the TV sitcom, Kevin Hill. In April 2005, Braxton's new label, Blackground/Universal, released "Please", the first single from her fifth album, Libra. The album was originally planned for a June release, but it was pushed back several times and was finally issued 27 September. Unfortunately for Braxton, her troubles with weak album promotion and lack of label commitment weren't over. "Please" peaked at number 36 on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while altogether missing the Hot 100. Libra still managed to debut at number four on the Billboard 200 selling 114,593 copies in the first week. Libra also peaked at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Although that is strong for an album with little to no promotion, it became yet another commercial disappointment for Braxton. The album's second single, "Trippin' (That's the Way Love Works)", received less airplay and peaked at number 67 on the R&B chart. The failure was ascribed to the non-video presence of the single and lack of label support. The album was certified gold in late 2005 and has since sold 679,000 copies worldwide. 2006 - 2010 Braxton recorded a song in 2006 with Il Divo, titled "The Time of Our Lives". The song was used as the official 2006 FIFA World Cup anthem and was performed at the opening ceremony in Berlin, Germany, on 9 June. The song was also performed at the closing ceremonies making Braxton and Il Divo the first artists to be asked to perform for the opening and closing ceremonies. Braxton made an appearance on the season finale of American Idol 5, where she performed Elvis Presley's "In the Ghetto" with soon-to-be winner Taylor Hicks. On 19 May 2006, the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas announced that Braxton would replace Wayne Newton as the casino's new headlining act from 3 August 2006. The show, entitled Toni Braxton: Revealed, was to be performed six nights a week and was scheduled to run through to March 2007. Braxton later confirmed that she was extending her show through to August 2007. Due to its success, it was reported that Braxton would extend her show through to August 2008. The show was later cancelled in order for Braxton to focus on her health. In an October 2006 concert at the Flamingo Las Vegas, Braxton broke down in tears while announcing to the audience that just before the concert began she had been told that her son, Diezel, had been diagnosed with autism. Braxton has been outspoken regarding her doctor's failure to diagnose Diezel's condition earlier, contending that if he had been diagnosed earlier he could have received treatment earlier. As well as becoming a spokeswoman for Autism Speaks, she is also a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association. On 12 January 2007, Braxton filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against her former manager Barry Hankerson for $10 million, alleging "fraud, deception and double dealing", in addition to mismanaging her relationship with Arista Records. According to Braxton's lawsuit, Hankerson placed his personal financial interests ahead of hers by using 'double-talk' to compromise the relationship between Braxton and her former recording label, Arista Records, with Hankerson allegedly telling Arista that "Braxton no longer wanted to record for Arista", and telling Braxton that "Arista was not interested in working with her anymore". The suit was settled with Braxton being forced to return a $375,000 advance to Hankerson, who would also receive a percentage of the sales of her next album, and Hankerson releasing Braxton from her contract with him. The settlement also temporarily limited the companies with which Braxton can sign. Hankerson claimed that the problems initially arose due to a number of disputes with Braxton and her wish to include her husband in her music. In October 2008, it was announced, that Braxton signed to Atlantic Records. In the November 2008 issue of Jet, Braxton discussed her time spent on Dancing with the Stars as well as dealing with her son's autism. Braxton also talked about being signed to Atlantic Records and the debut of her upcoming single. The DJ Frank E produced song "Yesterday" premiered 11 September 2009 and features Trey Songz. It was released as the lead single from her sixth studio album, Pulse. "Yesterday" peaked at No. 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart making it her highest chart performance since her 2000 single "Just Be a Man About It", which peaked at No. 6. The single has been released worldwide 3 May 2010. In the UK, "Yesterday" became Braxton's first hit single since the release of "Hit the Freeway", peaking at No. 50 on the UK Singles Chart and at No. 17 on the UK R&B Singles Chart. The song also became a moderate hit in Europe, peaking at No. 20 on the German Singles Chart, at No. 17 on the Swiss Singles Chart and charting at No. 50 on the European Hot 100. In November 2009, Braxton announced that she and Lewis had separated. On 29 January 2010, Braxton's official website posted two of the songs from the upcoming album, "Hands Tied" and "Make My Heart". The former peaked at No. 29 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, the latter was sent to dance/club radio. She performed "Make My Heart" on The Wendy Williams Show. Braxton released her sixth studio album, Pulse, 4 May 2010 in the US and 10 May 2010 in the UK. Despite the fact that 27 songs were leaked, the album consisting of only 11 tracks, debuted at No. 9 on the US Billboard 200 chart and hit No. 1 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming Braxton's fifth US top-ten album. It also achieved moderate chart success around the world. In Canada it debuted at No. 72 on the Top 100 Albums chart and in the United Kingdom it debuted at No. 28 on the Top 40 Albums and at No. 7 on the R&B Albums chart. It entered at No. 18 on the German Album Chart. In Switzerland, the album hit No. 9. Pulse, although a commercial flop, became Toni's first album to chart inside the European Top 100 Albums since her 2000 album, The Heat. On 28 June 2010, Braxton posted a video for "Woman". Braxton was included as part of the "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" remake of the 1985 hit "We Are the World" to help benefit the people of Haiti following the 12 January 2010 magnitude 7.0 MW earthquake in Haiti. The new version of the song was recorded 1 February 2010. Music legends Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie act as Executive Producers as well as Wyclef Jean. Artists involved included Céline Dion, Barbra Streisand, Janet Jackson, Tony Bennett, Wyclef Jean, Josh Groban, Pink, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Levine, Justin Bieber, LL Cool J, among others. According to Braxton, via a lawsuit, TMZ, and VH1's Behind the Music, after her Toni Braxton: Revealed show was abruptly cancelled back in 2008, the insurance agency, Lloyd's of London refused to honor her policy that she purchased for upwards of $70,000 that included financial compensations for financial losses that occurred as results of concert cancellations. The policy was reported to insure Braxton up to $2.8 million. Lloyd's of London responded with a counter-suit seeking damages against Braxton and remarked that Braxton's policy was null and void because of an unrelated heart condition that the company was not made aware of at the time the application was filed. Braxton responded to the counter-suit by saying that she did disclose her full medical history at the time. As a result of the insurance company nullifying Braxton's contract, Braxton has said that she was on the hook for all damages because of the cancelled shows, being sued by multiple companies, and had to once again file for bankruptcy, as announced 7 October 2010. As of 2013, Braxton has completed required financial management courses and most of her debt has been discharged. Later that year rumors began circulating that Braxton was in talks to star in her own reality show with Bravo. Braxton would later confirm the rumors during an appearance on Ellen after a performance of her single "Make My Heart". 2011 - Present In January 2011, WE tv confirmed that it had signed Braxton for a reality series, Braxton Family Values, which is marketed as one of the network's flagship shows. The series debuted 12 April 2011, and looks at the relationship between the singer-songwriter Braxton, her mother, and her four sisters; Trina, Tamar, Traci and Towanda – all aspiring singers themselves – along with the interpersonal relationships of each family member. The show also looks at Braxton's heavily publicized separation from estranged husband, singer Keri Lewis. Toni parted ways with her long-time manager Vincent Herbert, who is also husband of sister Tamar Braxton, and signed a new management deal with Los Angeles -based entertainment/production company 'The Collective'. Braxton completed filming of The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure alongside Jaime Pressly and Cloris Leachman which was released in 2012. Her character – Rosalie Rosebud – is a singer, whose over-the-top personality was apparently inspired by Mariah Carey. Later that year Braxton confirmed work on her eighth studio album. Braxton announced at Mercedes-Benz 2012 Fall/Winter Fashion Week in an interview with Rocco Leo Gaglioti as a part of "Fashion News Live", that she would be releasing a new single titled "I Heart You" in March 2012. Braxton premiered "I Heart You" 9 March 2012. The song peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Dance/Club play chart. The music video for "I Heart You" was directed by Bille Woodruff. Shortly after the release of "I Heart You", rumors began circulating that Braxton would soon retire. These rumors would later be confirmed by Braxton herself on February 7, 2013. Braxton flew to Canada to begin shooting for her lead role in Twist of Faith later that year. Braxton appeared on Good Morning America to promote her new movie when she also confirmed the rumors of her retirement revealing that she is retiring from music and stated that she would like to focus on acting: "I have to do shows here and there, but I'm not gonna do any albums, I'm falling out of love with it, it's weird. I don't know what to say when I hear songs. They don't impact me. I've been trying to listen to songs, record companies have been calling me, so it's a good situation to be in, but I'm not really interested at all". Twist of Faith premiered 9 2013 February on the Lifetime Movie Network. In June 2013, Braxton announced that she was returning to music with a Summer Tour and that she was in the studio working on her eighth studio album. She also stated that the album will not be a traditional album but rather a collaboration album featuring long-time collaborator Babyface. The album will entirely consist of duets between Braxton and Babyface. Babyface said that "The whole perspective is guy and girl, Mars vs. Venus. Even if you're in love, you're in love for different reasons", while Braxton added: "I think because Babyface and I have both gone through divorces, we can relate and we can collaborate on this topic and make it so others who have gone through this situation can relate". The album Love, Marriage & Divorce was released 4 February 2014, under Motown Records. The 2013 Summer Tour kicked off in Las Vegas 9 August and ended in Atlanta 31 August. The lead single from Love, Marriage & Divorce "Hurt You" premiered 17 August 2013. The song attained success, claiming the No. 1 spot on two charts: the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart for four weeks, and the Urban Adult Contemporary (Urban AC) for the week ending 14 December 2013. This marked Braxton's seventh No. 1 hit on the Adult R&B Songs chart and first since her 2000 release "Just Be a Man About It". The song also hit number 16 on Billboard Hot R&B/ Hip Hop Airplay chart. The second single from the album, "Where Did We Go Wrong?" peaked at No. 11 on the Adult R&B Songs chart. The album was also nominated for World's Best Album at the 2014 World Music Awards. The album won for Best R&B Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in 2015. In September 2013, it was announced that Braxton would make her return to Broadway alongside collaborator Babyface in Broadway's After Midnight. They are scheduled to perform from March 18–31, 2014 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. In succession, they will be third in rotation in the role of "Special Guest Star" following Fantasia Barrino and KD Lang. On 20 January 2014, Braxton announced that she will be releasing a memoir titled Unbreak My Heart: A Memoir through Harper Collins Publishers. Braxton will discuss her career success and struggles and the self healing she took charge of after her diagnosis with the auto-immune disease lupus and her son's diagnosis with autism. Unbreak My Heart: A Memoir was released 20 May 2014. On 14 May 2015, Braxton said she was headed back to the studio for an upcoming eighth album. She promised that a new single would be released before the end of the year. In September 2015, Lifetime greenlighted a biographical film on Braxton's life, Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart. In October 2015, The Braxtons released Braxton Family Christmas. Braxton Family Christmas debuted at number 27 on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, number 10 on the US R&B Chart and number 12 on US Top Holiday Albums on November 21, 2015. The album charted at number 1 on the US Heatseekers Albums 12 December 2015. Braxton announced in an interview with Sway in the Morning on 22 January 2016 that she and Babyface will collaborate again with Love, Marriage & Divorce Pt. II. On July 25, 2016, Braxton announced that she would be embarking on a tour in the fall of 2016 titled "The Hits Tour" in North America. On 3 October, five days before the first date of the tour Braxton was hospitalized due to complications with Lupus resulting in cancelling the first two dates of the tour. The dates cancelled were rescheduled for 28 and 29 January 2017 and kicked off the tour on in Detroit at the MotorCity Casino Hotel on 12 October 2016. On 15 October 2016, Braxton was admitted once again to hospital with complications with Lupus resulting to cancel another tour date 15 October 2016, which was later scheduled to 14 November 2016. On 16 October 2016, Braxton posted a photo of herself leaving the hospital on her Instagram, announcing that she was on her way to that night's performance in Chicago. On 1 December 2016, Braxton announced a short statement via Twitter that the dates for "The Hits Tour" in January 2017 were cancelled, a new album would be coming soon and back touring in the summer, "Hey Guys, Unfortunately, Under doctor's recommendation, I'm going to have to cancel my shows in Oakland on January 28th and Los Angeles on January 29th, 2017. I'm feeling better and better every day and I want to be at my best when performing for you all. I'm excited to say that I will be completing my new record this spring / summer of 2017 and can’t wait to share it with you. Stay tuned for more details. I look forward to seeing everyone back on tour in the summer of 2017!!!" Personal Life Braxton met musician Keri Lewis when his group, Mint Condition, opened for her on tour; they married 21 April 2001. In 2001, she gave birth to their first child, a son named Denim Cole Braxton-Lewis. In 2002, while gearing up for the release of her fourth studio album, Braxton discovered she was pregnant with her second child; the complicated pregnancy confined her to bed rest. The couple's second son, Diezel Ky Braxton-Lewis, was born in March 2003. As Diezel has been diagnosed with autism, Braxton has become very involved with Autism Speaks, serving as their International Spokesperson. In November 2009 Braxton announced that she and her husband had separated. The couple later divorced in July 2013. On 8 July 2015, Braxton's Attorney, Antavius Weems announced that Braxton had settled her contentious child support case with her ex-husband, Keri Lewis. On 2 June 2016, at her performance at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, the City and County officials named 2 June as Toni Braxton day in Atlanta, Ga. Health Problems As of August 2007, rumors surfaced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Braxton stated to Access Hollywood, that the breast cancer rumors were false and that her health is in great condition. However, in 2008, she had a benign lump removed from her breast. On April 8, 2008, near the end of her two-year run at the Flamingo Hotel, Braxton was briefly hospitalized and the remaining dates on the show, which was scheduled to end 23 August 2008, were cancelled. Later, while appearing on Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars, she stated, that she has been diagnosed with microvascular angina (small vessel disease). On 18 November 2010, Braxton admitted to CBS News that she had been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease. Braxton's brother is also a carrier of the disease, and her uncle died of complications from lupus. While taping her reality series, Braxton Family Values, she went in for surgery. Braxton was hospitalized in Los Angeles in December 2012 because of "minor health issues" related to lupus. Dancing with the Stars 7 In August 2008, various internet websites including TMZ.com and In Touch Weekly magazine began announcing, that Braxton would be appearing on the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars. The full cast of the next season of the show was confirmed 25 August 2008 on Good Morning America, which confirmed Braxton as a contestant in the season with her partner being Alec Mazo. They were voted off in the fifth week of the competition. Scores Trivia * Her youngest sister, Tamar Braxton, competed on season 21, finishing in fifth place. Gallery Toni and Alec S7.JPG ToniBraxton-Promo7.jpg Category:Females Category:Contestants Category:Season 7 contestants Category:Singers Category:Actors